Talking in Circles
by Aerial312
Summary: A tag to 8x20 "Two-faced".  Tony and Ziva continue to explore the issues raised in the bar.


Tony tossed his phone onto the side table and flopped onto the bed. It had been a long couple of days. They had worked almost two days straight. After the brief respite of the bar, post-eyeball they were right back to work, continuing through the night and the following day. They still had made little progress, but it was clear they were getting diminishing returns with everyone exhausted. Gibbs had finally sent them home, much to EJ's chagrin.

"This guy is good. We've got nothing new. I want my team rested and up to the challenge," he'd told her, before turning to them and repeating emphatically, "Go home."

Tony hadn't waited to see how EJ responded. He was too damned tired. He wasn't in the mood for her tonight. Hell, he was probably too tired to even get it up for her. The more he worked with her, the more complicated this little fling was getting.

From the bedside table, his phone chirped the arrival of a text message. Tony groaned. 'Please don't let it be EJ,' he thought as he groped blindly for the device. While he wasn't in the mood for her, he was even less interested in explaining that to her, and would probably give in.

He smiled when he saw it wasn't EJ, but Ziva texting him at midnight. _Are you alone?_. Interesting. He keyed in a quick response, _Yup_.. Was she coming over? He was about to ask that question, when he heard a knock at the front door.

So she'd been standing at the door when she sent the text. Even more interesting. His back protested angrily as he started to push himself up to sitting. He gave up, and flopped back down, typing into the phone: _Pick it._

Seconds later he heard the door open and close, and her heels clicking down the hall to his bedroom.

"Lazy."

"Tired," he protested. "My back is killing me."

"Is that your way of asking me to rub it?"

Tony grinned. "It wasn't, but if you're offering…"

"Roll over," she ordered.

He complied quickly, resting his cheek on the soft quilt. God, he was tired. He heard her shoes drop to the floor as she kicked them off, and the bed dipped as she crawled on beside him.

"Aren't you tired?" he yawned.

"I am," she said simply, as she threw one leg over to straddle his back. "My hands are cold," she warned him.

"s'Okay…" he murmured, though he still winced as her icy fingers made contact with his bare skin. She was good at this. He knew that from prior experience. It would be so easy to just fall asleep, as her hands worked their way along his lower back. Somehow she knew just where his back hurt.

But she hadn't come over to rub his back. There was some other reason. He fought through the exhaustion—and pleasure, because yeah, Ziva straddling him and rubbing his back was pretty hot—and finally managed a coherent thought. "If you're tired, why didn't you go home?"

The question didn't stop her ministrations, nor did it immediately bring an answer. "I am tired, but I won't be able to sleep," she said quietly, a minute or so later.

"Won't be able to?"

"I…do not sleep well, when I am…agitated."

It was clear that she didn't really want to talk about it. She never did. He tried for humor. "So you thought you'd keep me up too?"

She sighed loudly. "I should not have come." She quickly climbed off him, and started for the door.

He rolled over quickly and grabbed her wrist. "Ziva." Even in the dark room he could see the anger flash across her face. He released her hand. "I was just teasing," he assured her as he sat up.

She was now leaning against the wall, with her eyes shut. Arms crossed. Closed off from him, that was for sure. But she wasn't trying to escape anymore, not even trying to put her shoes on.

"Why did you come over?" he asked softly.

Her eyes flicked open, catching his for a split second before settling on the ground. "You sought me out earlier."

He nodded. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You'd had a tough day. But I didn't think you actually wanted to talk about that."

She looked up at him, "Not really."

"Is it the Ray-thing that still has you too agitated to sleep?"

At that, she looked away, and he knew he had his answer. "I do not like feeling conflicted."

"Conflicted how?"

She came to sit beside him on the bed. "We had had such a nice time. For months. But he lied to me, and I do not think I can forgive that."

Tony nodded. He wasn't sure what to make of CI-Ray. There was definitely more going on with him that they were privy to.

"Does it bother you that EJ has all these secrets that she has kept from you?"

Yes, yes it did. "Professionally, yes," he answered.

"But not personally?"

"I…" he faltered, trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "It has not been that kind of relationship. Work didn't really come up. It was easier that way."

"But not anymore?"

"Working head to head its kinda hard to keep it separate. It was easier when it was just casual and fun."

"I thought you did not want casual anymore."

"I want something!" Tony sighed, flopping back on the bed. What was with this line of questioning? "Until yesterday, you were very happily seeing someone."

"I do not like her."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear," he snapped. Tony didn't mean to get short with her, but he was too tired to talk circles around this. "Sorry."

She lay back beside him. "I did not come over to pick a fight."

"Why did you come over?" he asked, voice much calmer.

"I am not sure."

They lay in silence for a while, legs still hanging over the side of the bed. If he fell asleep like this, he was going to regret it in morning. "Well, let's get some sleep," he yawned, sitting up.

"I—"

"Try."

She nodded, standing up. He pulled back the covers, and climbed. She crawled in beside him, now wearing just a camisole and her panties. He held out his arm, and she settled beside him, head on his chest. This, now this felt right. This was why she had come over, even if she didn't realize it. It wasn't long before he felt her breathing grow steady, and he followed her quickly into sleep.


End file.
